


To See or Not to See

by Novaah



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/M, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaah/pseuds/Novaah
Summary: Lor'themar suffers a terrible injury and Thalyssra offers her help until he recovers.
Relationships: Thalyssra/Lor'themar Theron
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As I stated at the beginning of my last Lor'themar/Thalyssra fic - I rarely write canon characters so I hope they are in-character enough for you to enjoy. Especially because the fic will be a bit longer. It didn't feel natural to shove everything into one chapter so it'll have multiple chapters and I really hope I do the couple justice because I do love them. 
> 
> This fic was written with the help of my friend, Casey, who helped me come up with a fun (if not, slightly painful) prompt!
> 
> Final note is that this is in no way related to the previous fic I wrote. I know that doesn't make sense but you know what else doesn't make sense? The fact that they are somehow closer in this fic but this fic is the first time Lor'themar goes to Suramar and that's already happened in the first fic...

Lor’themar collapsed in a heap as a sword brutally came down across his face. A mess of red surrounded his eye when he looked up and immediately realised he couldn’t. A look of panic spread across his face until a familiar voice reassured him. Arms around him, she spoke, “I’ve got you. I am getting you to safety now.”

“But the undead-” Before he could finish his sentence he felt a wave of warm familiar magic surround him. Though he could not see, there were specks of lightness and he recognised the sudden pull of a teleportation spell well enough to know what was happening. When his feet hit the ground of wherever Thalyssra had teleported him to, he turned to where he imagined her to be. “Why would you do that? We had almost-” He felt a pair of hands delicately spin him around, presumably to actually face her. “-succeeded. You are needed in the fight.”

“How is your eyesight, Lor’themar?” Thalyssra asked, carefully wiping away the blood with her sleeve.

“I have had one bad eye for long enough, Thalyssra. I can manage just fine.”

“I would imagine two bad eyes to be twice the trouble of one bad eye,” Thalyssra mused. “Me removing you from the fight just means we can get faster healing and potentially save it. It looks to have mostly affected the skin surrounding it but it is important to act fast.” Lor’themar held his head, skillfully ignoring the blood steadily flowing over his nose as Thalyssra spun him quickly again. She linked her arm with his to carefully guide him to the nearest Priest. 

The Priest gave a quiet mumble of concern as they steadily moved their hands, inspecting his eye. Once again, a warm sensation crossed his face.

“You are checking how serious the injury is?” Lor’themar asked, though he did not seem concerned. Perhaps it was Thalyssra’s hand on his shoulder that comforted him or the fact that he had enough faith in his healers to be able to mend the wound. Either way, he believed himself to be in safe hands.

“Yes,” the Priest responded. Once again, gently touching the area around his eye, causing Lor’themar to flinch ever so slightly. It was rare they felt the need to check the wound a second time. In most cases, a quick healing spell would suffice and in the rest, he would simply have to wait longer for a short ritual but the Light had always kept him safe, and his healers had always done the most they could.

“And?” Thalyssra asked, seemingly concerned by the lack of further information.

The Priest stayed silent for a few moments longer as he cast another spell - an action that made Lor’themar frown then wince in pain. “And it is a rather serious injury. I will do all I can to mend it but… the Regent Lord must rest once the spell is complete. It would be wise to keep the injury covered for seven days. After which, we will just have to hope you have not lost your vision entirely, my Lord.”

“Covered for a week? Priest-” he paused. “I cannot see your face but I would assume it is… Priest Haas-”

“Alessel.”

“My apologies, Priest Alessel… But you understand that I only have one functioning eye at present? I cannot possibly spend a week with no vision at all, especially when there are threats such as-”

“Lor’themar, please, relax. I am sure Priest Alessel is aware of what he is suggesting and there are ways to reduce the impact of blindness. Suramar has a specialist who can aid us in creating a spell that will allow you to see through other means and I will always be at your side to help. Besides, I am sure your advisors would be more than willing to assist you.”

“If you are offering to help, I believe my advisors would do very little to support me. They-”

“Are your closest friends and will look after you, should I not be around. Stop being so unreasonable, Lor’themar. It is important you let your eye recover properly, unless you would rather lose your vision entirely?” Thalyssra squeezed his shoulders gently.

He sighed and dropped his head. “No. You are… both correct.” He lifted his head, looking at where he perceived Thalyssra’s voice to be coming from. “You trust your specialist?”

“Of course, I trust my specialist. Would I recommend them to you otherwise?”

“I suppose you would not.” He leaned back ever so slightly.

Thalyssra smiled at Priest Alessel. “Cast your spell, Priest. I will personally take him to Suramar’s best sight specialist, once you assure me he is ready for travel.”

Priest Alessel nodded and began to make complex gestures with his hands, mumbling words intensely. A warm golden glow spread across his eye and he inhaled sharply as the pain sharpened suddenly then gradually subsided. Thalyssra mumbled words of encouragement to him, running her hand through his hair until eventually, he relaxed entirely. Priest Alessel stood and gathered some gauze to place over his eye, then he carefully covered that with an eyepatch to keep the gauze in place. “He may need to rest for a bit before you leave for Suramar, and you should watch him carefully on your travels. I will alert Halduron and Rommath so that they may also assist in his care.”

“Thank you, Priest Alessel. I will ensure the best care is taken so that he may recover swiftly. After all, he is eager to return to battle.” She stood, tilting her head ever so slightly when Lor’themar only slumped against her legs. Then, she gave Alessel a pointed look.

He shrugged. “I adjusted the spell to ease his pain but I am aware that the Regent Lord can be somewhat… insufferable at times like this.” He raised an eyebrow at Thalyssra who promptly nodded.

“In that case, I should help him to his chamber so that he may rest.”

“Or perhaps, it would be wise to find somewhere for him to rest that is closer… to Suramar? I assume you can teleport there?”

Thalyssra tilted her head then nodded. “Thank you again, Alessel.” Then, holding up Lor’themar the best she could, the pair vanished into a blinding purple light.

* * *

When Lor’themar awoke, he realised very quickly that he could not see anything. As the panic set in, he frantically felt around him for something familiar, only to find the bed he was resting in was not his own. He attempted to steady his breathing as he continued to move his hands until they rested on something soft. Hair. He moved his hand along carefully until he found the arm of the person laid next to him. “Thalyssra,” he said breathlessly.

“Yes, I am here.” She sat upright, causing his hand to slide along her body until it rested on her waist.

“Where are we? This is not my bed.” He squeezed her waist gently, more out of a poor attempt to gauge his new and unfamiliar surroundings than anything.

“No, it is mine.” Lor’themar’s ears perked up in what Thalyssra could only assume to be confusion, so she continued, “you were rather tired, which is very unsurprising considering the intense day you had had, so I brought you here to rest. Alessel suggested I keep an eye on you so I hope you do not mind us sharing a bed? It just seemed to make things easier.”

“I only mind that I cannot see your beautiful face… But, Thalyssra, one question?”

She looked up, a faint blush spreading across her face. “Hm?”

Lor’themar moved his hand to her face then looked directly into where he assumed her eyes would be. “Was my own room not closer?”

“I suppose it was but I would hate to invade your privacy like that whilst you cannot see,” she mused. “Besides, we are to see the specialist today, no? It made sense to bring you to Suramar.” Thalyssra stretched casually. “Now, come with me so I may make you breakfast.” She shifted from her bed and held his hand in an attempt to guide him.

He shifted to get up, pausing mid-movement. “You changed me?” 

“I wish I had. You smell horrendous. No, I only removed your armour.”

“You really know how to treat your guests, ‘Lyss.” He threw her a smile, a clear indication that he was joking.

“Don’t I just,  _ Lor _ ?” she teased, pulling him up.


	2. Chapter 2

After breakfast, Thalyssra led Lor’themar to a shop within the Gilded Market. “I wish you could see how the City has grown over the past year.”

“It is a shame I did not take you up on your offer sooner,” Lor’themar agreed.

“The Gilded Market was once an area reserved for the nobles of Suramar but now there are many talented people who have set up shop here when the nobles would not have allowed it previously.” Thalyssra continued to lead him, guiding him up a short step into the shop.

With her guidance, he was able to move smoothly though he stumbled over the small step. “I must admit,” he started as he recovered from his trip, “that does sound somewhat familiar. The Quel’dorei were not so kind to those they believed to be less important. I am glad you have been able to help your people make such great progress in such a short period of time.” He reached out, tapping the counter in front of him, when Thalyssra dropped his arm.

“Thaestir, would you be able to aid Lor’themar with his sight? He is recovering from an unfortunate injury but will need a way to see in the meantime.” Thalyssra tapped Lor’themar’s arm gently - a small and very much welcomed gesture to show she was still by his side.

Thaestir, a bespectacled Nightborne with long, white hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, nodded. He pulled on a pair of gloves to delicately move the red blindfold that had been used in place of an eyepatch. Or two. “The injury has been properly attended to?” he asked as he inspected the injury closely.

“By Silvermoon’s finest. I would trust Alessel with my life,” Lor’themar responded.

“Yes, I see that.” He prodded the torn skin around his eye gently causing Lor’themar to flinch. Thalyssra squeezed his shoulder gently. “Your Priest has done good work, Regent Lord.”

“I would hope so-”

“Thaestir, please, can you help him see?” Thalyssra interrupted.

“Of course, my Lady.” Thaestir leaned back. “I am not familiar with the use of light magic for healing but if you are comfortable with it, I can create a concoction that will allow you to see. Though it is arcane in nature and you will likely not see as you are used to.”

Lor’themar raised a hand, stopping Thaestir momentarily. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Ah, well, you will essentially be… ah, colourblind? And with the arcane nature of the drink, you will likely see arcane better than you will non-magical items but you will be able to see nevertheless.”

Lor’themar gave a low laugh. “I will be able to see arcane better than a non-magical object in Suramar?” He shook his head. “That just sounds like another benefit.”

“In that case, I will go prepare the drink, Regent Lord Theron.”

Thalyssra gave Thaestir a smile as she gently replaced Lor’themar’s blindfold. “Thank you greatly, Thaestir.” 

They only had to wait a short while before Thaestir returned, holding a vial of a vibrant purple liquid with silver vines that appeared to dance around it. He handed it to Lor’themar who was sat with Thalyssra next to him, holding onto one arm lightly.

When Lor’themar took the drink from Thaestir, he held it still as a rich scent of a bitter berry overwhelmed him. It was not the most pleasant scent but in an attempt to be polite, he took a deep breath and drank it in one swift gulp. To his surprise, though it had a bitter scent, the drink was unusually sweet.

“The drink will take a short period of time to activate but you are welcome to wait here until that happens. However, I must go tend to my other customers.” He bowed his head politely.

“Thank you, Thaestir,” Thalyssra said, bowing her head in return.

“Yes, thank you. I am very much looking forward to being able to see, even if all I can see is the beauty of Suramar’s magic.” He turned his head slightly, hoping his gaze would meet Thalyssra’s despite his inability to see. “And perhaps, your beautiful face, First Arcanist?”

Thalyssra gave a gentle, melodic laugh. “Well, I am an Arcanist.” She lifted his chin up ever so slightly. “But you have seen me before. Suramar you have yet to see.”

“Still, I would hate to have to go so long without even a glimpse of your smile.”

“And yet it took you so long to visit, Regent Lord.”

Lor’themar laughed and shook his head. When he looked back up at her, he froze momentarily.

“Lor’themar, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

In fact, Lor’themar had not seen a ghost. He had seen the face of a beautiful woman, whose eyes shone brighter than he had ever seen. Every tattoo… Every mark, in this violet filter, was stunningly white and appeared to shimmer ever so slightly. He smiled. “I fear I have been blinded by reality this entire time, First Arcanist. You are far more beautiful than I ever realised.”

Thalyssra smiled. Then she stood and offered her hand to Lor’themar. “Come. Let me show you all that Suramar has to offer. You _must_ see the Gardens.”

He took her hand and carefully brought it to his lips. “Please, lead the way. Perhaps you can show me where your Dusk Lilies grow?” He looked up at her briefly.

Thalyssra looked over him for just a moment. “I would love to but first… the Gardens.” She turned and whisked him away, proudly overlooking the blank look of confusion that crossed his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick heads up: I am not a poet but I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless!

By the fifth day in Suramar, Lor’themar had seen plenty of the city to know how the arcane had flourished since the Nightborne had freed themselves from Elisande’s reign. The people were no longer withered and every person he met, though he could not see them, had a vibrant purple glow about them. On Thalyssra’s arm, he had relished in the small pleasantries that life had to offer - simple things that he usually was unable to indulge in. He took walks through the Gardens, enjoying the sweet scent of the flowers around him, and for the first time in a long time, was not interrupted by someone demanding his presence at yet another meeting. He had met with countless poets whose words made him feel so deeply he weeped, and he had met with magicians who, though he could not see their displays, still managed to dazzle him with the beauty of the arcane. He had also taken the time to enjoy the fine delicacies that Suramar had to offer under a moonlit sky with Thalyssra by his side. An uninterrupted meal had become so rare that when the two of them left to visit the Menagerie, he found it difficult to believe that he had been able to merely sit and talk for hours.

At this point, the amount of free time he had was astounding and he longed to get back to work but more importantly to him at this particular time, he wanted to express his gratitude to Thalyssra, for every moment she had spent by his side. She had cared for him and made him feel more welcome in Suramar than he did in his own city. And when parts of him worried about the ongoing conflict, she comforted him and reminded him that he could trust in his advisors. Now, he was wandering alone in the Gardens once more. She had left to attend to important business with the promise that she would be back in a matter of hours so he chose now to find a way to express his gratitude in the one way he knew she would appreciate. A poem he had yet to name but despite the lack of a title, it was one that he had spent an absurd amount of time writing and rewriting in an attempt to perfect it, and now, it was… still not perfect.

“The lilac hue in the dark of the night,

The gentle moves and the quiet whispers,

A new perspective though I don’t have sight,

Many thanks to she who glows and shimmers

The Lily blossoms and shows me her heart,

Full of great kindness, with a soul to suit,

Ev’ry part of her is a work of art,

Any thanks I give would be destitute.”

He sighed and closed his book with one hand. He reached down to touch the delicate petal of a dusk lily.

“The longer I write, the more my heart aches,

She is beauty and grace, a flawless face,

She speaks, blessing my ear when I awake,

With a melodic tune, a warm embrace.

But the Dusk Lily is not mine to take,

So long as my burnt wings- she does not break.”

He leaned in to smell the flower with a gentle exhale. “I’ll figure out the final stanzas before the week is up.”

“I think the final stanzas were beautiful.” Thalyssra stepped forward.

Lor’themar froze. After a moment, he stood and turned to her, offering a welcoming smile. “Thalyssra, I did not expect you to be back so soon,” he said, a hint of surprise in his voice betraying the unfazed facade he tried to portray.

She continued to take slow steps towards him. “It seemed Valtrois had everything under control, and I hated the idea of leaving you alone when you still have not regained your sight. Besides, I did say I would be your eyes for the week… That I would never leave your side.” 

“Are y-”

“Yes, I am very much sure that Valtrois has it under control.” She laughed when Lor’themar gave her a questioning look. “You are very predictable sometimes. Now, would you care to share more of your poetry with me? I would be more than happy to show you some of mine in return.”

“Ah, perhaps another time when I have had some time to vet them. I would only want to share the best with you and that was… far from it.”

“Disappointing but… Not surprising.” She sighed as she draped her arm around his shoulder. With her other hand resting on his arm, she guided him through the Gardens. “Until then, come, you must be tired.”

“It has barely been an hour since you left.”

“And you wasted all your energy pacing the Gardens despite your lack of vision. A true tragedy. More so than you not having any other poems to share with me. We can relax at my estate.”

Lor’themar looked up briefly, suddenly dazzled by the soft arcane shimmer that surrounded her now that she was closer. It was a clear but insignificant sign that she had recently teleported yet somehow it enhanced her beauty. He found there was something so implausibly alluring in her power and confidence. After only a moment of hesitation, he nodded. “Well, if you insist. I suppose I am… a little tired.” He faked a yawn, causing Thalyssra to give a delighted laugh before she led back to her own estate.

**Author's Note:**

> As before, con-crit is forever and always welcome, particularly in regards to my characterisation because as I said, I rarely write canon characters and I want to do them justice.


End file.
